Complaint against the Global News Broadcast on Chinese Canadians

Re:Complaint against the Global News Broadcast on Chinese Canadians

Date and time of the broadcast: April 30 Edition of the Global National with Dawna Friesen Name or call letters of the broadcaster: The Global News

To Whom It May Concern,

As a Chinese Canadian, I would like to file a complaint on the video section about 11minutes 6seconds into the April 30 Edition of the Global National with Dawna Friesen, titled “China asked Chinese nationals to help stockpile PPE” (hereinafter referred “the Video”) as “Global News Investigates”. The Video is still posted on the Global News Website at https://globalnews.ca/video/6891278/global-national-apr-30-7#autoplay as of today.

This coverage is in correspondence with an article titled “United Front groups in Canada helped Beijing stockpile coronavirus safety supplies” (hereinafter referred “the Article”), authored by investigative reporter Sam Cooper and published by the Global News on the same day, April 30th, 2020, at https://globalnews.ca/news/6858818/coronavirus-china-united-front-canada-protective-equipment-shortage/.

The Video started by a prominent quote: “Every overseas Chinese is a warrior”, which repeats a bold heading in the Article. In the background was the original Chinese article where the quote was translated from. The original Chinese sentence reads “Every overseas is a fighter against the epidemic”. Clearly, the English translation missed an important key word, leaving the views distorted impression on the Chinese Canadians, a sub-group of Overseas Chinese. The reporter, Abigail Bimman goes on to explain that “Chinese nationals around the world raced against time to send back batches of scarce supplies for the motherland.” This is a blatant and horrifying disregard to the basic difference between the term “Overseas Chinese” and “Chinese National around the globe”. Chinese Canadians include Canadian-born Chinese as well as “immigrants from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau as well as overseas Chinese who have immigrated from South East Asia and South America”. However, most Chinese Canadians do not have Chinese nationality. To mistakenly linking each Chinese Canadian to the operations of helping China secure medical supplies is putting about 5% of the Canadian population under scrutiny and potentially incite hatred among uninformed viewers.

The reporter goes on to state that in mid-January, “China put out an urgent call for help for themselves while hiding the severity of the new corona virus that would hit the rest of the world.” This was interpreted as “fundamentally a political warfare operation” by an interviewee, author and journalist Jonathan Manthorpe. It seems no coincidence that every overseas Chinese was earlier painted as a warrior. The humanitarian efforts by some in helping the Chinese under a public health emergency are now linked to all Chinese Canadians waging a political war in Canada! This is horrifying.

Throughout the Video, wrong information was given to distort the fact and conclusions were made without foundation, all of which show a total lack of honesty and diligence.

For example, the reporter stated that “in just six weeks, China gathered 2.5 billion pieces of personal protective equipment including from Canada, where they used Consulate, State-owned business and United Front community associations to send back at least a hundred tonnes, according to Chinese reports.”

The first number was based on a report titled “the Interpretation of the Chinese Foreign Trade in the First Two Months by the Chinese General Administration of Customs”, sourced by the Chinese General Administration of Customs and published by the Chinese government website on March 7th, 2020. It’s workload data for the statistics of the Chinese Customs, with relevant parts read that “[f]rom January 24th to February 29th, customs nationwide inspected and released 2.46 billion pieces of epidemic prevention and control materials, valued at RMB 8.21 billion yuan. Among them, a total of 2.4 billion pieces of protective equipment, including 2.02 billion masks and 25.38 million pieces of protective clothing.” All the stocks that arrived in China and cleared the customs during the 36-day period was included in the statistics. This includes the relief materials procured by all levels of Chinese government as well as entities and individuals across the country, as well as PPE donated by other governments, international charities, non-profit organizations, overseas Chinese individuals and groups, etc. In fact, up to February 14th, 33 governments and 4 international organizations had provided China with medical materials for epidemic prevention and control. This includes 16 tonnes of PPE shipped by Canada. All these donations and supplies were also included in the calculation. Obviously, people around the world understood the severity of outbreak and the urgency need.

The second number was drawn, according to the Article, by a “review of official reports from state media such as Xinhua as well as UFWD web pages in China and reports from associated Chinese-Canadian community groups”. Specifically, there was massive PPE shipments of at least 100 tonnes from Canada to China in January and February. Again, this is the total number of logistic shipments, not the total procurement by Chinese Canadians. One of the reports used here was published at 51.ca, quoting official data from Hainan Airlines that it delivered 56.19 tonnes of equipment from Toronto Airport to Beijing through its direct flights from January 29th to February 17th. The source of these materials was clearly identified as domestic and foreign government departments, charitable organizations, social organizations, overseas Chinese, relevant medical institutions, medical equipment manufacturers and other organizations and individuals. Furthermore, by late January, all Hainan Airlines direct flights between US and China were stopped. Thus, this quoted number reflected all materials sourced across North America and shipped through Canada.

None of the data and reports quoted by the Article and repeated in the Video shows concrete evidence that any of the procurement and/or donations by Overseas Chinese was conducted under the direction of the Chinese government through the United Front Work Department (UFWD). The earliest date for any reported actual procurement of PPE by overseas Chinese was on January 23rd, after China imposed a lockdown in Wuhan and other cities across the Hubei Province, and one day after the World Health Organization confirmed human-to-human transmission. To accuse the Chinese Canadians of assisting China to scratch up PPE while hiding the severity of the virus to Canada is unfounded and ridiculous.

Thus, my complaint against the Video and its source Article is first and foremost on Accuracy. This video wrongfully identified the Chinese Canadians, was full of misquotes, carried misleading or incomplete interpretation, and adopted a headline that did not accurately reflect its main storyline.

I would also like to launch my compliant on the approach that the Video adopted to report a very sensitive issue. It’s clear that the Video shows a bias against Chinese Canadians, an important minority ethnic group in Canada, during the global pandemic crisis when people’s tensions are high. There has been a dramatic increase of hate crimes and Sinophobia in Canada in recent months. The broadcasting of such a Video that’s filled with distortion and speculation will only encourage more discrimination against Chinese Canadians.

It’s imperative for the Global News to retract the Video and the Article immediately and make an open apology without reservation to the Chinese Canadian Community. The Global News should set a much higher standard in its follow-up covering on issues related to Chinese Canadians.

Best regards

Your sincerely